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The Strangeness of Beauty: A Novel
Shortly before World War II, Etsuko returns to Japan with her infant nephew to dwell in the foreboding samurai home of her estranged mother, where she struggles to find inner peace as the world descends into war. A first novel. 35,000 first printing. Tour.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published June 11, 1999
79 people are currently reading
1656 people want to read
About the author
Lydia Minatoya
3 books22 followersLYDIA MINATOYA was born In Albany, New York in 1950. She received her PhD in psychology from the University of Maryland in 1981 and is currently a college professor. She has written about her experiences growing up as an Asian American and her travels of self-discovery in Asia in Talking to Monks in High Snow: An Asian-American Odyssey (1993). She has also published a novel, The Strangeness of Beauty (1999), about several generations of Japanese Americans who return to Japan just before World War II and view the conflict from the perspective of insiders who are also outsiders.
(from www.litjunkies.com/Minatoya.doc)
(from www.litjunkies.com/Minatoya.doc)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
June 28, 2020
I discovered this book from SAT prep test. I've been transported to Japan in 1920 and I loved that it showed the insights to different cultures in different generations. Also, the writing was easy to comprehend if you would like to read and analyze the literary work.
April 2, 2014
If the author of this novel, about Japan on the eve of World War II, hadn't felt the need to be so "lyrical," I would have enjoyed the book more. The characters are interesting and the historical context is compelling. It's a good read if you allow yourself to skip the odd overelaborate descriptive passage.
October 12, 2016
LAST BOOK (out of like fifteen) FOR THIS LIT CLASS - BOOOOOYYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.
This one took wAY TOO FRIKKIN LONG for me to read, but I think I liked it the best out of all the books I read for this American Lit course. Probably because it's closest to the style I like to read usually, but I know it also has something to do with how content-free it was. (YAY.)
Despite the book's somewhat meandering plot, I found it highly entertaining and insightful ("might she be a little brighter than her class oh yes she's definitely advanced..."). Super glad I bought this one, because I think I'll be re-reading it in the future. : )
This one took wAY TOO FRIKKIN LONG for me to read, but I think I liked it the best out of all the books I read for this American Lit course. Probably because it's closest to the style I like to read usually, but I know it also has something to do with how content-free it was. (YAY.)
Despite the book's somewhat meandering plot, I found it highly entertaining and insightful ("might she be a little brighter than her class oh yes she's definitely advanced..."). Super glad I bought this one, because I think I'll be re-reading it in the future. : )
February 27, 2023
A serendipitous find at Salvation Army Store that turned out to be a real treasure. Chock full of Japanese culture, history and ways of thinking compared to American/western. I particularly liked the explanation of the haiku form and Samurai history and function in Japanese society. The build-up to WWII through creeping militarization was explained and nicely depicted. So many insights. This was a pleasure to read from start to finish. A first novel and keeper.
February 24, 2014
This book is about a Japanese woman who moves to America and then back to Japan about ten years later. It's written from her perspective, as a quasi journal/quasi autobiography. The book doesn't have a linear plot, it's more like having a glimpse into someone's life on and off for a period of about twenty years. But the themes of the book are motherhood, loss, war, and Japanese and American culture.
I loved Minatoya's writing, it was so beautiful and poetic. It made me want to write haikus about my life. I learned a lot about Japanese culture and history from this novel, as well as learning more about how American culture has shaped the way I think and see the world. I also loved how the book shows how our perspectives can be so limited, both in how we see ourselves and how we see others. And for that reason we should not assume that the way we see something fully encapsulates how it really is.
Another part of the book that I love is the way she talks about normal life with such poetic grace. One of my favorite excerpts from the book is this:
"There's a reason why I tell this I-story. To me these Sunday painters represent myo--the strangeness of beauty--an idea that transcendence can be found in what's common and small. Rather than wishing for singularity and celebrity and genius (and growing all gloomy in its absence), these painters recognize the ordinariness of their talents and remain undaunted.
"It's the blessings in life, not in self, that they mean to express.
"And therein lies the transcendence. For as people pursue their plain, decent goals, as they whittle their crude flutes, paint their flat landscapes, make unexceptional love to their spouses--in their numbers across culture and time, in their sheer tenacity as in the face of a random universe they perform their small acts of awareness and appreciation--there is a mysterious, strange beauty."
I loved Minatoya's writing, it was so beautiful and poetic. It made me want to write haikus about my life. I learned a lot about Japanese culture and history from this novel, as well as learning more about how American culture has shaped the way I think and see the world. I also loved how the book shows how our perspectives can be so limited, both in how we see ourselves and how we see others. And for that reason we should not assume that the way we see something fully encapsulates how it really is.
Another part of the book that I love is the way she talks about normal life with such poetic grace. One of my favorite excerpts from the book is this:
"There's a reason why I tell this I-story. To me these Sunday painters represent myo--the strangeness of beauty--an idea that transcendence can be found in what's common and small. Rather than wishing for singularity and celebrity and genius (and growing all gloomy in its absence), these painters recognize the ordinariness of their talents and remain undaunted.
"It's the blessings in life, not in self, that they mean to express.
"And therein lies the transcendence. For as people pursue their plain, decent goals, as they whittle their crude flutes, paint their flat landscapes, make unexceptional love to their spouses--in their numbers across culture and time, in their sheer tenacity as in the face of a random universe they perform their small acts of awareness and appreciation--there is a mysterious, strange beauty."
April 5, 2008
Etsuko Stone, a young bride from Japan, travels to Seattle with her husband full of anticipated hopes and undefined dreams. Before these can materialize, she finds herself mother to her sister's daughter. She returns to Japan with her niece, moving into the home of the mother who rejected her at birth. This irony of motherless daughters and daughterless mothers is one of many carefully balanced juxtapositions throughout the book that reveal the strength that lies in quiet action and the weight found in the pull of buoancy. The book reads like a memoir, and though there is no strong plot line, each page adds significance and substance, revealing both to Etsuko and the reader the significance and meaning of her younger, unfulfilled, hopes and dreams. The Japanese setting, with its introduction to ancient Japanese ways and pre-World War II culture, is beautiful and fascinating, and integral to the telling of this beautiful story of self, sisterhood, and the Samurai.
July 23, 2024
It has taken me several months to finish this book, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I feel this is a novel that's best enjoyed slowly, as Etsuko's narrative spans across years and her I-story is filled with deep reflections that are better enjoyed in small doses with periods of reflection afterwards. The book is called The Strangeness of Beauty indeed because it looks at the mysterious and moving beauty that accumulates in the small details of everyday life ("From the mundane flows and odd kind of music").
This book feels momentous in that its a glimpse into a world that feels not mundane at all: through Etsuko's eyes we witness the experience of Japanese people (especially women) at the beginning of the 20th century, both in Japan as it faced the changed that will lead to its participation in WW2 and in the US, where Japanese people were immigrants. As such, the book strides Japanese and Western perspectives, keeping a delicate balance that feels accesible and at the same time respectful of complexities. However, as with any glimpse, I sometimes felt frustrated that I didn't get more of a view.
I loved how this book talked about much more than Japan and history: it talked about motherhood and growing up, grieving and surviving, tradition and innovation, prejudice and bravery, all from the point of view of women. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed how Minatoya let Etsuko explore with form from time to time, adding a layer of questioning about art and its place in society. I am sure I will read it again and I hope to keep finding richness in its prose.
This book feels momentous in that its a glimpse into a world that feels not mundane at all: through Etsuko's eyes we witness the experience of Japanese people (especially women) at the beginning of the 20th century, both in Japan as it faced the changed that will lead to its participation in WW2 and in the US, where Japanese people were immigrants. As such, the book strides Japanese and Western perspectives, keeping a delicate balance that feels accesible and at the same time respectful of complexities. However, as with any glimpse, I sometimes felt frustrated that I didn't get more of a view.
I loved how this book talked about much more than Japan and history: it talked about motherhood and growing up, grieving and surviving, tradition and innovation, prejudice and bravery, all from the point of view of women. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed how Minatoya let Etsuko explore with form from time to time, adding a layer of questioning about art and its place in society. I am sure I will read it again and I hope to keep finding richness in its prose.
September 5, 2021
I love a multi-cultural, multi-generational, female-centric story; no surprise this novel was a perfect fit for me :) Quite beautifully written and (to my amateur knowledge) a captive distillation of Japanese culture and history. This novel appears to be well researched (bibliography included) and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of Japanese history and tradition contained in this fictional auto-biographical 'i-story'.
Prospective readers may appreciate being advised this book places lyrical language central and its meandering plot leans toward the Easter circular, via vignette (rather than Western climax driven), story structure. Character-driven, introspective memoir-esque, and a tribute to culture/family history and origin in the pursuit of self-discovery and individuality. I quite enjoyed the early WWII Japan backdrop to this story juxtaposing three different generational perspectives of modernization and political evolution.
In a different mood this book might have received a 5 star from me. A few minor dissatisfactions but altogether a very impressive and lovely read.
Prospective readers may appreciate being advised this book places lyrical language central and its meandering plot leans toward the Easter circular, via vignette (rather than Western climax driven), story structure. Character-driven, introspective memoir-esque, and a tribute to culture/family history and origin in the pursuit of self-discovery and individuality. I quite enjoyed the early WWII Japan backdrop to this story juxtaposing three different generational perspectives of modernization and political evolution.
In a different mood this book might have received a 5 star from me. A few minor dissatisfactions but altogether a very impressive and lovely read.
December 28, 2022
Despite the protestations of other reviewers saying that The Strangeness of Beauty was too aesthetically minded, I was disappointed to find that the novel wasn’t aesthetically minded enough for my own tastes. However, I did still enjoy Minatoya’s novel and its peculiar framing as what she refers to as an “I Story” or a shishosetsu as I’ve seen it referred to elsewhere. Rather than Etsuko being a driving force of the plot, the main character (the “I” in question) takes a more passive role in the story.
The shishosetsu framing traditionally aims to give a factual account of events and reflections on events which is ironic here because the subject of this work isn’t Minatoya herself but rather the fictitious character Etsuko. Etsuko, like the book’s author, wrestles with her identity as both American and Japanese. I don’t think she really draws any novel conclusions and kind of falls into cliche when deciding that she doesn’t really neatly fit in either world. According to composer Toru Takemitsu, shishosetsu is rooted in a particularly confucian idea of art as a dignified event rather than a self expressive one, yet it’s in that display that the writer creates an allegory of themselves. Perhaps this is an appropriate context to tell a tale that, like any, tells a gendered story. While I’m not an expert of shishosetsu, I think there is something about quiet dignity, passivity, and self reflection that would fit the sort of story being told. Minatoya herself describes the tradition of novel writing being a particularly feminine pursuit amongst Japanese noblewomen historically. In a traditional western novel, the action would probably focus mostly on Hanae and I could easily see this as a sort of Bildungsroman, but the focus on the out of the spotlight role of motherhood makes this a much more interesting read.
When it comes to the telling of history on the macrolevel, Minatoya doesn’t bog the reader down with too much detail and it’s about the level of content you’d find on an introductory course on the dissolution of the samurai class and the Meiji Restoration. However, Minatoya does pique my interest with her care for the lives of women and small traditions in life that are often ignored when giving a political or economic history. Particularly her observation on the viewed passivity and lack of adaptability of women leading them to be sent back to Japan for their schooling and social development was interesting.
In terms of character creation and development, it felt like some of the characters were forced on certain paths to make it easier for the author to write from their perspectives. While there certainly was a move towards westernization and modernisation at this time, it does feel strange that just about every person in this traditionally minded samurai class family has read the standard repertoire of western great works and thought. Furthermore, in her generalizations of the differences between Japanese and American culture, Minatoya seems to focus on the cultural peculiarities of the samurai class and incorporate some of their mythos into her history telling. Additionally, some of the more material differences– like eating with chopsticks– don’t feel as poignant to modern readers, especially given the rise in influence of Japanese culture on America through things like anime, music, and video games within the past few decades. In other words, the “otherness” that she tries to hone in on isn’t felt as acutely as it perhaps would’ve been thirty or forty years ago.
I also think that Minatoya can’t help but make most of the characters that she focuses on fundamentally good or exceptional. Hanae is of course the top of her class. Chie Fuji, a usually conservative samurai class woman, is outspokenly anti-Imperial. The soldier returned home from the decidedly evil Japanese Imperial Army was a conscientious objector. No one falls for the imperial propaganda, they just want to fit in! On and on it goes, til a point where we have to wonder where all the imperial supporters and war criminals in 1930s and 1940s Japan came from! But, in the end, the fates of history aren’t really the focus. The novel shines in a few moments, notably when recognizing the beauty in people continuing to fight an unwinnable fight. No matter how many pamphlets Etsuko publishes, Japan will still invade Manchuria and later attack the United States. The stitching of the women will not save a Japanese soldier from gunfire. Chie’s father will fight for the Imperial forces, ensuring his own demise as a samurai. All of these people have complex worlds, replete with cultural practices, traditions, and beloved family, but all of that can be wiped out by Imperial Decree or the will of the Japanese military.
Overall, there were moments that shined in this book even if it’s not a flawless masterpiece. If you’re looking for a tome on Japanese aesthetic theory then I’d steer you elsewhere, but if you want a generally liberal-minded story of three women who have to come to terms with massive cultural shifts in 20th century Japan then this might be the read for you.
The shishosetsu framing traditionally aims to give a factual account of events and reflections on events which is ironic here because the subject of this work isn’t Minatoya herself but rather the fictitious character Etsuko. Etsuko, like the book’s author, wrestles with her identity as both American and Japanese. I don’t think she really draws any novel conclusions and kind of falls into cliche when deciding that she doesn’t really neatly fit in either world. According to composer Toru Takemitsu, shishosetsu is rooted in a particularly confucian idea of art as a dignified event rather than a self expressive one, yet it’s in that display that the writer creates an allegory of themselves. Perhaps this is an appropriate context to tell a tale that, like any, tells a gendered story. While I’m not an expert of shishosetsu, I think there is something about quiet dignity, passivity, and self reflection that would fit the sort of story being told. Minatoya herself describes the tradition of novel writing being a particularly feminine pursuit amongst Japanese noblewomen historically. In a traditional western novel, the action would probably focus mostly on Hanae and I could easily see this as a sort of Bildungsroman, but the focus on the out of the spotlight role of motherhood makes this a much more interesting read.
When it comes to the telling of history on the macrolevel, Minatoya doesn’t bog the reader down with too much detail and it’s about the level of content you’d find on an introductory course on the dissolution of the samurai class and the Meiji Restoration. However, Minatoya does pique my interest with her care for the lives of women and small traditions in life that are often ignored when giving a political or economic history. Particularly her observation on the viewed passivity and lack of adaptability of women leading them to be sent back to Japan for their schooling and social development was interesting.
In terms of character creation and development, it felt like some of the characters were forced on certain paths to make it easier for the author to write from their perspectives. While there certainly was a move towards westernization and modernisation at this time, it does feel strange that just about every person in this traditionally minded samurai class family has read the standard repertoire of western great works and thought. Furthermore, in her generalizations of the differences between Japanese and American culture, Minatoya seems to focus on the cultural peculiarities of the samurai class and incorporate some of their mythos into her history telling. Additionally, some of the more material differences– like eating with chopsticks– don’t feel as poignant to modern readers, especially given the rise in influence of Japanese culture on America through things like anime, music, and video games within the past few decades. In other words, the “otherness” that she tries to hone in on isn’t felt as acutely as it perhaps would’ve been thirty or forty years ago.
I also think that Minatoya can’t help but make most of the characters that she focuses on fundamentally good or exceptional. Hanae is of course the top of her class. Chie Fuji, a usually conservative samurai class woman, is outspokenly anti-Imperial. The soldier returned home from the decidedly evil Japanese Imperial Army was a conscientious objector. No one falls for the imperial propaganda, they just want to fit in! On and on it goes, til a point where we have to wonder where all the imperial supporters and war criminals in 1930s and 1940s Japan came from! But, in the end, the fates of history aren’t really the focus. The novel shines in a few moments, notably when recognizing the beauty in people continuing to fight an unwinnable fight. No matter how many pamphlets Etsuko publishes, Japan will still invade Manchuria and later attack the United States. The stitching of the women will not save a Japanese soldier from gunfire. Chie’s father will fight for the Imperial forces, ensuring his own demise as a samurai. All of these people have complex worlds, replete with cultural practices, traditions, and beloved family, but all of that can be wiped out by Imperial Decree or the will of the Japanese military.
Overall, there were moments that shined in this book even if it’s not a flawless masterpiece. If you’re looking for a tome on Japanese aesthetic theory then I’d steer you elsewhere, but if you want a generally liberal-minded story of three women who have to come to terms with massive cultural shifts in 20th century Japan then this might be the read for you.
June 18, 2022
Until about halfway through this book, the only reason I kept reading was the same reason I picked it up: my interest in the recent history of Asia. With the subtitle 'three generations of samurai women in Japan', I hoped to read about women's history in a culture completely unknown to me. I was surprised by the beginning of the book in Seattle but soon I was able to enjoy many beautiful details of Japanese culture. Because it is also a story of migrants, it appealed to me even more, because I come from a migrant family. Surviving in a distant country with an unfamiliar culture and the loneliness that this can cause is grippingly described. Different characters in the book have been formed as a result of migration and this gives them extra depth. After the main character Etsuko returns to Japan with the child of her deceased sister, Hanae, the story about the three generations begins. It starts slowly, the first person Etsuko shares her struggle with us to find the right writing style for her story. It is told in fits and starts, but it grows in strength, at the same pace with the personal development of the powerful woman Etsuko. Gradually we also get to know her strict mother Chie and Hanae and their vulnerable and at the same time very strong love for each other. Set against the backdrop of war and nationalism, this made the book a wonderful historical novel with more depth than many I've read.
March 11, 2009
The Strangeness of Beauty by Linda Minatoya was the 2nd book I read. This one took me a few days to finish, but I also enjoyed it. It set up like a Japanese I-Story, much like the Pillow book. Etsuko and her niece, Hanae, move back from Seattle to Japan in the 1920s. The go to live with the grandmother Chie. The story is from a first person narration, but the narrator knows she is telling you the story, and often stops to find other ways to explain it. Sometimes by pretending to picture it from Hanae or Chie's point of view. The is lots of discussion about Japan and the war and how western influence and Japanese cultures clashed and co-mingled. There is also alot of talk about different ideas in Japanese culture that do not translate well into American words or feelings. Etsuko explains these feelings in simple ways without sounding too teacher-ish. Things like kata (way of doing things) or myo (strange beauty) are explained and then moved into the text. It really gave a sense of being in Japan in the 20s and 30s, as well as a basis for an outsider to understand why the characters were doing things that might seem culturally different. What I really loved about this book is the concept that you can explain a culture through a story and have the story come out real and as authentic as if it had just happened. I really enjoyed it, and I hope that this strange discription of it doesn't put anyone off. I read another description here that might make a little more sense. I always like books that take me inside other cultures and to other places, either in time or perhaps another world. So reading about this family was very refreshing and wonderful.
February 14, 2017
I want to give this 4.5 stars instead of 4. I loved this creative and introspective tale of the evolving relationships of three females from three generations of a Japanese samurai family. The style of this particular "I-story" -- the Japanese diary -- charmed me. The diarist comments about what she is writing, for example how she feels about exposing a sensitive matter. It doesn't get more introspective than this, and I can easily relate to her introspective nature. I warmed to the characters, and appreciated the author’s beautiful presentation of the Japanese ambiance. The book moves a bit slowly, especially at first, and it isn't one that you can't put down. I took my time, but I was always sweetly satisfied as I read. The very last chapter or so didn't seem to fit; it's like the author was trying to wrap everything up nicely, but… Either I was tired of reading at this point, or the author was tired of writing, I'm not sure. I recommend this book to anyone who is fond of a story about mother-daughter bonds, or enjoys Japanese culture, introspective writing, or pre-WWII historical fiction. I was ignorant about the nationalism and militarism of Imperial Japan in the late 1930s -- the build-up to war, the corruption in power, the arts under attack, the underground peace movement. It seems the world is even smaller than I thought. Let's not go there again.
January 10, 2008
A maiden aunt takes her niece back to Japan from the US in about 1915 for "finishing." They stay in Japan for many years and the aunt also is able to "Finish" her childhood and her life. THis is a slow, simple story but very revealing. The book is set in pre-WW II Japan when all things are changing, Japan is becoming westernized, war is approaching, and relationships are not what they have always been. Of course, relationships have never been what we say they are and that is the strange beauty of this book.
I very much enjoyed this book, but I suspect it may be a first novel. I would like to read other things by this author.
I very much enjoyed this book, but I suspect it may be a first novel. I would like to read other things by this author.
May 3, 2013
"What do we ever know of our families? Like members of a solar system we move along our individual orbits. Sometimes close and astonishingly beautiful, like Mars glowing red beside the moon, at other times obscured for months by the clouds. Familiar and mysterious, necessary and useless. Trusted, even when not visible, to be there."
Lydia Minatoya's writing is enchanting - like a haiku that has been expanded into novel form.
Lydia Minatoya's writing is enchanting - like a haiku that has been expanded into novel form.
August 29, 2016
A strange book in many ways but beautifully written, in the style of an I story. Set between Seattle and Kobe, the book provides a perspective from outside mainstream American culture, and spans three generations of Japanese women. The characters are very likeable, particularly Etsuko and the pre ww2 anti war stance by some Japanese women, an interesting insight. I really liked this.
August 21, 2011
AMAZING. Maybe even life-changing - I am ruminating now on the concept of myo and the importance of looking for beauty in the mundance. This goes on the favorites list for sure.
Also a very clean book - nothing too explicit or shocking except for some accounts of war violence.
Also a very clean book - nothing too explicit or shocking except for some accounts of war violence.
February 12, 2017
its go0od and intersting story
January 28, 2026
This book tells the story of three generations of women descended from a samurai family, beginning in 1922.
Written by the narrator, Etsuko, the story unfolds.
A story told by Etsuko, a young woman who has emigrated to America with her husband to build a new life in Seattle's Japanese neighborhood.
But the story begins with Chi.
Daughter of a samurai, who, during Chi's youth, traded his position for that of landowner, as the samurai's earnings were increasingly less needed.
Chi, however, enjoyed a respectful upbringing and the norms and values inherent in a samurai family.
During conversations with a matchmaker, Chi's family, and that of the young Kan, Chi defies all custom and tradition during the conversation in which she expresses her desire to marry Kan. This, despite both families being unhappy with the chosen candidates.
Nevertheless, a marriage follows, and Kan is accepted by the Fuji family as their daughter's husband.
However, tragedy strikes, and when their daughter Etsuko is born, the baby is given up and raised by a farming couple.
Chi follows her daughter's childhood from the sidelines but is not involved in any way.
Years later, Chi has another daughter, Naomi, for whom Chi does take responsibility.
When Etsuko is already an adult and married, settled in Seattle, her younger sister Naomi also flees to free America.
Disinherited by her mother, Chi, for her choice of the young man Akira, she chooses a new life.
However, Naomi dies in childbirth.
Etsuko is very involved in the time after the birth of her niece Hanae and supports Akira, the young father, whenever she can.
Until the moment comes when Akira decides to send Hanae back to Japan to give her a proper upbringing. Akira asks Etsuko to accompany and guide his daughter.
And so they return to Etsuko's birthplace, to Fuji's house, where Hanae will live with her grandmother, Chi.
And where the stories of the three women converge, and Etsuko begins to understand more about her mother's history.
A beautifully written story that's very enjoyable to read. It's a lovely representation of a piece of Japanese history.
The book ends just before the Second World War breaks out.
And I actually found that a shame.
I know some stories about life in Japan at that time, but I would have liked it if the story had continued, and we could read how the three women survived this time.
Especially because the war with China plays a role in the story, and this war is a prelude to the Second World War, and its consequences for Asia.
Nevertheless, this is a beautiful story.
Written by the narrator, Etsuko, the story unfolds.
A story told by Etsuko, a young woman who has emigrated to America with her husband to build a new life in Seattle's Japanese neighborhood.
But the story begins with Chi.
Daughter of a samurai, who, during Chi's youth, traded his position for that of landowner, as the samurai's earnings were increasingly less needed.
Chi, however, enjoyed a respectful upbringing and the norms and values inherent in a samurai family.
During conversations with a matchmaker, Chi's family, and that of the young Kan, Chi defies all custom and tradition during the conversation in which she expresses her desire to marry Kan. This, despite both families being unhappy with the chosen candidates.
Nevertheless, a marriage follows, and Kan is accepted by the Fuji family as their daughter's husband.
However, tragedy strikes, and when their daughter Etsuko is born, the baby is given up and raised by a farming couple.
Chi follows her daughter's childhood from the sidelines but is not involved in any way.
Years later, Chi has another daughter, Naomi, for whom Chi does take responsibility.
When Etsuko is already an adult and married, settled in Seattle, her younger sister Naomi also flees to free America.
Disinherited by her mother, Chi, for her choice of the young man Akira, she chooses a new life.
However, Naomi dies in childbirth.
Etsuko is very involved in the time after the birth of her niece Hanae and supports Akira, the young father, whenever she can.
Until the moment comes when Akira decides to send Hanae back to Japan to give her a proper upbringing. Akira asks Etsuko to accompany and guide his daughter.
And so they return to Etsuko's birthplace, to Fuji's house, where Hanae will live with her grandmother, Chi.
And where the stories of the three women converge, and Etsuko begins to understand more about her mother's history.
A beautifully written story that's very enjoyable to read. It's a lovely representation of a piece of Japanese history.
The book ends just before the Second World War breaks out.
And I actually found that a shame.
I know some stories about life in Japan at that time, but I would have liked it if the story had continued, and we could read how the three women survived this time.
Especially because the war with China plays a role in the story, and this war is a prelude to the Second World War, and its consequences for Asia.
Nevertheless, this is a beautiful story.
May 29, 2024
It is amusing that I got to know this novel from an SAT practice test, but as soon as I read it, I was deeply attracted by its beautiful language and serene tone. It also shows me the mysterious and charming Japanese culture, with which I was not familiar before.
Initially, it was like The Joy Luck Club, depicting a Japanese woman living in Seattle. It describes the life of Japanese Americans at that time, living in orderly anonymity. From an American’s perspective, they might look wooden. Still, their eloquent silence, poetic hindsight, and conversations crafted with the masked formality of actors performing ancient Noh theater all contained their distinct cultures and traditions. The heroine, Etsuko, came to America with youth and promise, only to find a tremendous cultural gap. The conflicts of cultures were illustrated best in Hanae, an American-born girl who lived in Japan.
The novel also introduces the samurai philosophies, wabi (simple, quiet strength) and sabi (rustic, timeless elegance). They were the principles of dignity and duty, guiding decisions at war and home, occupying every aspect of life.
When recollecting Etsuko’s history, I learned more about Japan’s modernization, and the youth exposed under the sweeping influence of Western literature and Enlightenment ideas. Moving afterward, however, the conflicts between jingoism and pacifism became more apparent, exacerbated by the financial crisis. What surprised me was that those women from ancient and traditional families, like Chie and Mrs Ito, were the leading anti-war figures in this novel.
The most striking feature of this book to me, however, is its poetic language. Like my favorite one, “the sky had shifted. Sun slanted through branches, anointing her shoulders and hair. Silent and satisfied, filled with mysteries and blessings, she was as luminous as a Renaissance painting”, it depicted those splendid and impressive moments of life, capturing their beauty. There were also references to the Japanese flower cultures, shown in “the camellia bloom drops off all at once...like the victim of a beheading.” I was amazed by its magnificent analogies. Additionally, it explains the incompatible relationship between war and beauty, for “War is jealous of ordinary beauty,” but “the most powerful things are small: the taste on our tongues of our favorite childhood foods, the rub of skin against skin.”
Initially, it was like The Joy Luck Club, depicting a Japanese woman living in Seattle. It describes the life of Japanese Americans at that time, living in orderly anonymity. From an American’s perspective, they might look wooden. Still, their eloquent silence, poetic hindsight, and conversations crafted with the masked formality of actors performing ancient Noh theater all contained their distinct cultures and traditions. The heroine, Etsuko, came to America with youth and promise, only to find a tremendous cultural gap. The conflicts of cultures were illustrated best in Hanae, an American-born girl who lived in Japan.
The novel also introduces the samurai philosophies, wabi (simple, quiet strength) and sabi (rustic, timeless elegance). They were the principles of dignity and duty, guiding decisions at war and home, occupying every aspect of life.
When recollecting Etsuko’s history, I learned more about Japan’s modernization, and the youth exposed under the sweeping influence of Western literature and Enlightenment ideas. Moving afterward, however, the conflicts between jingoism and pacifism became more apparent, exacerbated by the financial crisis. What surprised me was that those women from ancient and traditional families, like Chie and Mrs Ito, were the leading anti-war figures in this novel.
The most striking feature of this book to me, however, is its poetic language. Like my favorite one, “the sky had shifted. Sun slanted through branches, anointing her shoulders and hair. Silent and satisfied, filled with mysteries and blessings, she was as luminous as a Renaissance painting”, it depicted those splendid and impressive moments of life, capturing their beauty. There were also references to the Japanese flower cultures, shown in “the camellia bloom drops off all at once...like the victim of a beheading.” I was amazed by its magnificent analogies. Additionally, it explains the incompatible relationship between war and beauty, for “War is jealous of ordinary beauty,” but “the most powerful things are small: the taste on our tongues of our favorite childhood foods, the rub of skin against skin.”
August 14, 2018
The Strangeness of Beauty is an eloquent and lyrical masterpiece with a "meandering no-plot."
Sound contradictory? Well, early in the book, the narrator describes I-stories: "Critics have complained that the I-story is too narrow. Not only because everything centers on a handful of closely related characters but also because it follows the meandering flow of memory. There's no solid sense of setting or plot."
And in this fictional autobiography of a Japanese woman, I certainly found that true -- as for the setting of this I-story, I could see the homes and countryside and people, and I gained tremendous insight into Japanese culture and customs. And while I was reading, I was delighted with the language, the serenity, the descriptions of people. But when I was away from the book, nothing drew me back. No plot to beckon.... No "what next?"
So I wasn't drawn to finish the book, but I eventually did. And while I loved the beautiful evocative language, I found the rambling plot dull. As the narrator says: "To me, the Japanese novel is too much like the living of life. You have to work for your wisdom, panning an endless stream of banalities for the tiniest flickers of truth." I enjoyed puttering around in the stream, but I wouldn't go back.
Sound contradictory? Well, early in the book, the narrator describes I-stories: "Critics have complained that the I-story is too narrow. Not only because everything centers on a handful of closely related characters but also because it follows the meandering flow of memory. There's no solid sense of setting or plot."
And in this fictional autobiography of a Japanese woman, I certainly found that true -- as for the setting of this I-story, I could see the homes and countryside and people, and I gained tremendous insight into Japanese culture and customs. And while I was reading, I was delighted with the language, the serenity, the descriptions of people. But when I was away from the book, nothing drew me back. No plot to beckon.... No "what next?"
So I wasn't drawn to finish the book, but I eventually did. And while I loved the beautiful evocative language, I found the rambling plot dull. As the narrator says: "To me, the Japanese novel is too much like the living of life. You have to work for your wisdom, panning an endless stream of banalities for the tiniest flickers of truth." I enjoyed puttering around in the stream, but I wouldn't go back.
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October 1, 2021De toon van het boek was soms iets te veel uitleggend (logisch aangezien Minatoya, als Japans-Amerikaanse, alle culturele fenomenen wil vertalen, wat natuurlijk niet gebeurd bij Japanse auteurs), maar ik heb toch erg genoten van dit boek. De personages waren op elkaar ingespeeld, de spanningen voelden werkelijk aan, de vertelstijl was wat meanderend maar de partijdigheid van de protagonist was mooi beschreven.
Wat me wel stoort is de titel. Het is afkomstig uit de mooiste passage, vrijwel helemaal aan het eind van het boek. Het probleem is dat ik weinig samenhang zie met de rest van het boek. Hoe de verdwijnende rituelen van de samurai, het moderniserende Japan, of de vredesgroepen uit de jaren 30 zich verhouden tot deze alledaagse bevreemding van schoonheid.
Wat me wel stoort is de titel. Het is afkomstig uit de mooiste passage, vrijwel helemaal aan het eind van het boek. Het probleem is dat ik weinig samenhang zie met de rest van het boek. Hoe de verdwijnende rituelen van de samurai, het moderniserende Japan, of de vredesgroepen uit de jaren 30 zich verhouden tot deze alledaagse bevreemding van schoonheid.
December 13, 2019
I did not enjoy this book. Had I not been reading it at quarter break when I had nothing else to do I doubt I would have finished it. However, I'm glad I read it if for no other reason than it was very different from the books I usually read. The history of Japan was interesting and the concept of the I-story was fascinating. The glimpses into Japanese culture and traditions also kept me engaged. The story as a whole, however, fell flat for me. I was not lured in by the narrator's story nor that of the other characters'. Overall I was disappointed.
January 30, 2018
"I shook my head. Such a waste. The men would take no time to appreciate Hanae's more formidable talents. Her razor-sharp memory, her unyielding nature. The way she can swallow the white heat of anger, shaping a grievance this way and that in the pit of her belly — like a master glassblower — until it emerges as a finely crafted grudge."
February 8, 2020
4.5 stars for this amazing story of a mother’s , enduring, and at times, complicated love. Anything set in Japan has my heart! The story is told through an I-story, which is essentially the popular Japanese art of writing ones autobiography. I’ve selfishly not given this full marks because I wanted more. I wanted to continue on that journey with the Fuji women, but alas, the I-story ended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2020
Another review (by Elliot) described this book as having a "somewhat meandering plot"--I find that accurate and, in fact, a part of the story's charm. The Strangeness of Beauty does not have much action, but I found its drifting, introspective style and non-linear timeline strangely beautiful (pun completely intended). I can certainly see why some would find it boring, but I loved it.
August 1, 2017
This is a beautiful I-novel that dives into Japanese culture. The characters are interesting and the writing is magnificent. Minatoya not only focuses on the culture of Japan but the seeping influence of the west in Japan as well.
September 17, 2019
Too much concept and not enough execution made this book an irritating read for me. Sad, because the author has obvious talent. There are some brilliant moments and very interesting cultural and historical details.
November 19, 2019
This book was so beautiful. It moved along with a slow grace that carries the reader in its gentle wake. I laughed. I cried. I re-read lines out of sheer enjoyment for their beauty. And, as soon as I finished it I wanted to start it over.
August 1, 2022
I found this book on our bookshelf - probably something acquired from my late mother-in-law's collection. I enjoyed it as I liked the comparison of American vs. Japanese cultures. I thought the writing was very good.
May 17, 2023
Whenever someone asks for book recommendations, this one is my go to. It is one of my favorite books. Poignant, multilayered, complex and real delving into multi-generational female relationships. Each character is flawed, but relatable. I love this book
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